I like wishing people “Happy Birthday” but I follow lots of folks and so their birthdays can clog up my Google Calendar. If you are in the same boat, here is how to get those birthdays off of your Google Calendar.
“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.” – Mark Twain
I am fascinated by Sketchnotes. I’m not much of an artist but have been playing around with the fundamentals. I am finding the Sketchnote lessons of Sacha Chua very helpful. If you are interested in Sketchnotes, check her out. Other good resources are Sketchnote Army and the Sketchnote Workbook.
I found out yesterday thank to a tweet by Samantha Bates that I ended up in a list. The organization is Professional Educators of Tennessee and the list is in Trend magazine (Issue 6, Winter 2014).
I came across this quote while doing some research for my dissertation proposal.
“In the 21st century, what it means to ‘be a teacher’ is shifting alongside the technological landscape, which requires a shift in teacher education and professional development approaches.” – Elizabeth C. Homan
Those in my PLN know I have authored several websites over the years. I have a poor track record of maintenance and this one is likely to follow the same path but I’m giving it a go regardless. While it lives it will serve as an online home base for an assortment of items.
I have a very active presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ and will highlight the favorites I share there on this website as well. As opposed to past blogs I’ve launched, my goal is to not share a resource unless I actually provide additional commentary which could range from information about how I personally use the resource, how some of my teachers or friends use it, or even just some ideas I might have for utilizing the tool.
I am currently pursuing my EdD at The University of Memphis, focusing on Instructional Design and Technology, so expect posts related to that along with items related to the topic of my dissertation.
As the Instructional Technology Specialist for the Lakeland School School System (Lakeland, TN) I am gaining much new experience and will share that here for those who may benefit from my mistakes and successes. We currently have one school in the new municipal school district, Lakeland Elementary, but are in the very early stages of planning a middle/high school, Lakeland Prep. I have learned so much this year about all things related to elementary education and will use this blog to reflect and share on those experiences. We have chosen to go Google Apps for Education in our new district so you will get some GAFE reflections as well.
Speaking of Googley stuff, I recently returned from the Google Teacher Academy (Austin, TX) and may finally have a minute to share some reflections and experiences related to #GTAATX and that is REALLY how this blog idea came into being. The last several year as I have moved from novice Google Apps user into Google Educator, Google Education Trainer, and now Google Certified Teacher and GAFE Administrator of our district domain, I have learned so much. I am usually crazy busy and have used that as an excuse to not reflect on the experience. After #GTAATX I know that is not acceptable. I will always have more to learn but I have learned so much from so many great people, it is my responsibility to share what I know and so I shall.
For those who followed previous blogs I authored, expect to see some of those resources revisited here, with updates. Those items will serve as kindling for this new bonfire I am setting alight. If you do take a spark and spread the light of eduGoodness, please let me know. I would love to have other authors on this site sharing similar content especially anything that was given fuel from a post of mine.